Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-08-05
HUNG BY A MOB.
Ice Slc!lcnhcrgcr. the Nebraska Child
Murderer. Taken from Jail
ana Lynchca.
a Iand Ct Germ III Farmers Execute
the Law in Summary
Manner.

Tho execution at Neb.asla Ciy, NeE.,
Jnly aal, OF Iiolfm IL, the train WI sckei,
WIS the incentive 10 one of the bes. eX-
ccuted plans OF Judge Lynch ever pelpe-
tyu;el in that part OF ,he countr lol
two days rumors had been II c that an or
canz.d mob would make an att.mpt to Sc
cure Snellenberger, the murderer or his
little duugltr r. The night OF the I'D IN
attempt WIS to have been III lde to lyncn
him, bat the sher Il wing been forewarned,
the mob was tispers, d b. the militia. Ii
was supposed to have been the end
OF the matter, and therefore the citizens
were surprised when it was learned, the
morning OF the 25th, that the vig,lan had
secured an entrance into the Jail during
the night and hung Shellenberger. An
eye witness Sud the mob approached tue
court house about $3.50 q. NJ, nois> lessly,
masked and we'll armed. The guards, be-
ing taken completely by surprise, were
easily overpowered. An effors to break in
the heavy IRON doors of the corridors was
fruitless and the sherlt1's Office, which is
directly over the prisoners cell, and an
opening about by 6 feet was made in the
floor, through which a part OF the mob en-
tered the cell in which the condemned
man was confined. The door was broken
open and the prisoner dragged out into the
court yard, and rope Was fastened
around his neck. He declared his inno-
cence of the crime ofswhich he was charg-
ed and convicted, and requested his body
to be buried on the old homestead till he
was proven innocen;. Then lie asked to
~ ri; he f,fh
and buried like other people. He never
broke down ana remained nervy to the last.
He was strung up, dying with curse on
his lips, as he sald: I'm haunt you
If can The mob, winch was COM
posed chiefly Of German farmers from the
vicinity of the muruerer's home, then dis
pelsed. They left singing Loudly Ger
man song. At ons time a yell was raised
to lynch The prisoners lawyers also, which
was agre cd to by IL large number OF the
mob, but wiser counsel prevailed. The
crime for which Sllel.enberger was lynch
ed was one OF the most atrocious and
blacklist IN the history or the State. The
victim was Maggie Sl:llenbergo:, " bright
child II years oil asc. April Il, 1885,
Shellenbergcr came 10 town and
informed the coroner and sheriff that
little Maggie had committed suicide. She
Was fount at the bottom OF the cellar
steps with two frlnhtiul cuts across her
throat, one almost severing the neck from
the lody. ShellenLereer aud his wife,
step-mother to Maggie, wcr. arrested on
suspicion, AMI al their trial lie WAS cou-
victed OF the murder an sentanced to
hang, but secural another hearin, in tke
Supreme Court, ami his execution was
put off definitely. The woman secured Il
change OF venue to l. ncaStnr cOllnIy.
and had her trial at Lincoln several mon il,
ago, but the ju'y failed to agree. There
had been several former attempts nude to
lynch Shsllsnberger, but thsy wer. no
successful. He is also credited with sew
eral other murders, OF one OF which he is
very likely guilty. 1t was the murder of
IN Engiishlnan name:l Leonari severa!
years ago on tie river bank, which has al
ways remained mystery, but suspicion al
ways poin.e strongly to Shellenberger.
though it could never b. proven.